One question that I wish some interviewer had put to Ralph Nader is: "If we asked John Kerry and George W. Bush what they'd consider a failure on November 2, we know what they'd have said. They'd have said, 'Losing the presidency.' What would you, Ralph Nader, consider a failure on November 2?"
He probably would have denied any outcome would be a failure but, of course, that option does not exist in politics. If there's something to be won, there's something to be lost. An honest answer would probably have been that a "loss" would have been such a poor showing as to lessen the credibility of all independent candidates, and especially his own for the future. That's pretty much what's happening. He hit 2.7% last time and he'll be lucky to make 1% this year. Remember when he used to be a force for good?